Markl to the Rescue
by Lupa Wolfe
Summary: Howl leaves to attend to business, but it soon becomes clear that something has happened to him. Sophie falls ill and the prognosis isn't good! Markl has to find Howl before its too late. But is Howl a victim or has he simply abandoned them?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own Howl's moving characters or plot.

CHAPTER 1- Happily Ever After… or not.

It was well past midnight and all was fairly quite inside the giant walking castle. Aside from the gentle clinking of hanging mugs coming together with the gentle sway of the castle and the occasional crackle and snap from Calcifer in the hearth there were no other sounds. Well, there was one other sound, if you counted the unearthly noises made by Witch of the Waste as she slept, a sound.

A little boy with ruffled brown hair and a button nose emerged, bleary eyed, from behind a curtain. He yawned, rubbing one curled fist against his eye, and padded over to a sink in one corner. Mechanically, he dragged a stool over to the sink and clambered on top of it, reaching for a mug and filling it with water from the tap. He clambered back down, spilling a little of the water onto his bare toes and plopped into a chair in front of Calcifer's hearth. He sipped the water, his lids half closed, ready to close and drift the boy back into sweet dreams at any moment.

Calcifer woke to see Markl sitting in front of him, staring blearily through those chocolate brown eyes of his, as he sipped on his water. Calcifer nearly jumped out of the hearth in surprise.

"Markl! You scared the O2 out of me! What on earth are you doing up at this hour?"

Markl yawned again, and blinked at Calcifer, incoherent, "I was thirsty."

"Then drink your water and get back to bed." Calcifer said grumpily.

"Kay." He said, sleepily, tipping the last of the water into his mouth and setting the mug next to Calcifer and sliding off the chair. He padded back toward the curtain he'd come through.

"Hey, kid, pick up after yourself! What do I look like? Your mother?" Calcifer grumbled.

Markl made a slow U-turn and picked up his mug and shuffled over to the sink and went through the ritual of climbing up the stool to set it inside. Just as he started to descend the stool, Howl came through the curtain, looking grim. He stopped when he saw Markl and Calcifer up and about.

"Markl, Calcifer, what are the two of you doing up?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Hey, don't look at me. The kid woke me up."

Markl shuffled over to Howl. "I'm sorry, Master Howl. I was thirsty." He said, wondering if he'd done something wrong.

Howl crouched down to the boy's level and put one hand on Markl's head, smiling, "Don't apologize until you have something to be sorry for. Why in my day I got out of bed many a time in order to get myself a drink." He straightened and it was then that Markl saw Howl was in traveling clothes.

"Are you going somewhere, Master Howl?" He asked, his eyes surveying his master's clothing.

"Excellent observation, Markl. Yes, I have some business to attend to. Tell Sophie not to worry. You're the man of the house while I'm gone, Markl." He said, putting on his cloak and walking to the door.

"What? 'Tell Sophie not to worry.'" Calcifer repeated, "Are you saying you haven't told her that yourself? And what's with the mysterious 'leaving in the dead of night' thing? Can't it wait till morning?"

Howl grinned, "No time. Remember what I said Markl. See you gentlemen later." With that he turned the color on the wheel and was out the door was a quiet swish.

Calcifer sighed, "I suppose we can't expect a miracle. Not even Sophie can hold him down for long. Markl, you and I should devise a way to get him to marry Sophie. I mean, come on, I would say it's about time he settled down. Markl? Markl are you listening to me?"

Markl had been staring at the door Howl had gone through, a strange feeling had formed in the pit of his stomach. At Calcifer's demand, he looked toward the little fire demon. "Did you say something, Calcifer?"

Calcifer sighed, "I swear, I get no respect around this place. No respect at all." He burrowed under a log and made progress toward falling asleep. Markl placed another log on top of him, so he'd last into the morning and went to bed, the feeling in his stomach lingering.

(A/N: My, I have been a busy bee lately, haven't I? Three new stories in three days. But anyway, this idea has also been circulating in my mind for a while. I loved Markl! To me he was the cutest thing in the whole movie. He's very blunt at first, but then you see he's really such a sweetheart. He grows to love Sophie and he worries about her and Howl. I thought he was just adorable.

I figure he needs an adventure of his own. I think he'll become a great wizard, especially with Howl teaching him. And please, if you take the time to read this, then take the time to review. It only takes a moment and it means so much to me! Thank you!)


	2. Feather

CHAPTER 2- Feather

Markl woke up early to prepare Howl's shops for customers. After brushing his teeth (Sophie said she could tell when he hadn't) and dressing in clean clothes, he tied his magical cloak around his neck. It had been a present from Howl after he'd become his apprentice. When Markl first began to man the stores, many customers had refused to listen to Markl, because he was so young.

But with this clever disguise, no one to date had guessed that he was really just a child. It proved that if the adults took the time to look past his youth they would see an exceptionally intelligent and talented little boy.

It was one of the reasons why he liked Sophie so much. She never treated him like a baby or spoke down to him.

He was organizing the different curatives and potion for their customers when Sophie came down the stairs.

"Markl, have you seen Howl? He's not in his room." She asked, in her soft lilting voice.

"Master Howl left late last night. He said he had business to attend to. He also wanted me to tell you not to worry." He said as he finished moving the orders around.

"What? Are you sure you didn't dream it, Markl? He didn't say anything to me about leaving last night."

Calcifer huffed, "Oh, he left well after midnight, alright. I think he gets a kick out of the cloak and daggers routine. If you ask me, he's still heartless. I mean, leaving like that with no warning and making us all worry about-mmph." Markl stuffed a log into Calcifer's mouth, effectively shutting him up. It seemed the more Calcifer spoke the more worried Sophie looked.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Sophie. Maybe he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he tried to leave without causing a stir." Markl said, putting more wood on top of Calcifer.

Sophie smiled reassuringly, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'm sure you're right, Markl. Well, there's a pile of laundry calling my name that needs washing. I really should start on it." She said, and left the room, head held high.

"What was that for?" Calcifer complained as he finished chewing on the log.

"You weren't helping." Markl said simply while Calcifer sputtered. A knock came from the door and Markl quickly pulled the disguise down over his face, using his own magic to make it work. He ran to the door and instinctively turned the wheel to the correct color and opened the door.

An elderly man stood in front of the store, "I'm here for my wife's medicine."

"Ah yes. Its right here." he said, lowering his voice several pitches, and reached for the man's order. The man handed him the correct amount of money, and Markl handed him the bag of specially mixed herbs. "Thank you, come again." He said as he closed the door and pulled the disguise away from his face.

Such a routine continued till the afternoon. Sophie cleaned the castle again in an effort to stay busy, while Markl tended to Howl's stores. The Witch of the Waste and Hein slept through-out the day, and despite their state of unconsciousness they made quite a racket together. The Witch's snore sounded like a miniature fog horn, while the dog puffed and wheezed several times on a single breath. The result was something similar to a symphony of noises. When they were coherent Markl would give the Witch something shiny to hold and that seemed efficient enough to keep her occupied and out of the way.

That night as they ate dinner, there wasn't much conversation. Calcifer chewed on a twig of maple and the Witch gummed on her finely chopped food. Every time the dog took a bite of food, he would nearly pass out from lack of oxygen, what with his mouth being full of food, and his nose being perpetually plugged.

Markl plowed through the food on his plate with great gusto, as was his usual ritual. As of yet, Sophie had been unable to teach him table manners. At least she'd been able re-wire hygiene related habits. She had to drawn the line somewhere.

It seemed to Markl that Sophie wasn't eating much. "Whfy arnmp ouu eabbing, Soffie?" He asked with his mouth full.

Sophie couldn't help but grin at Markl and his cheeks. They were full with food and puffed out impressively, like that of a chipmunk's.

"Markl, I couldn't understand a single word you said, aside from my name. Why don't you try swallowing before speaking?" She suggested gently.

Markl managed it somehow and repeated his question, "Why aren't you eating, Sophie?"

She smiled, "I've been taking snack breaks all day. Cleaning is hard work, you know. I needed the extra energy. But I'm afraid I ruined my appetite in the progress." It seemed like a believable answer, and no one questioned it.

After Sophie and Markl had cleaned the dishes and put them in their proper place, everyone settled down for the night. The Witch and the dog were soon asleep again. While Sophie stitched a patch over a rip in one of Howl's shirts, she talked to Calcifer. Markl found himself itching to practice his magic skills with Master Howl. He lay on the floor with a piece of parchment and a pen, making sure that he was close enough to Calcifer that his heat warmed his bare toes.

With his tongue sticking out to one side, caught between his teeth, he wrote down all the spells he could remember. Most of them weren't actual words, more like instructions of what images he should focus on when trying to achieve his goal. He recalled what Howl had told him once, 'It's all about necessity. When you need something, or when you need help, that's when your magic is at its strongest, its peak. Sometimes that all you have to do to perform magic, want it badly enough.' Wise words from a man who, at the time, had the mentality of a child.

"Are you alright, Sophie?" Calcifer remarked suddenly, "You've been getting paler and paler since dinner."

"Really?" She asked, looking a little surprised by Calcifer's observation, "I feel fine. It might be from running around the castle all day."

"Still. You should probably get some extra rest tonight." Calcifer said.

Sophie finished a stitch then folded the shirt, "You're probably right. I'm sorry if I'm worrying you, but I'm sure a few extra hours of sleep will make me right as rain. Good night, everyone."

After she had left Markl yawned, feeling sleepy. After a long day of manning the stores he always slept peacefully that night. Unable to fight the urge he rested his head on his "notes" and dozed off.

Markl woke up exactly where he'd fallen asleep-on the floor. He lay there for a time, his feet like ice cubes, in a state of groggy laziness. The magical door rattled ominously but did it so subtly that it went unnoticed by the barely coherent Markl.

Suddenly it flew open and hit the back wall and railing with a bang. Markl was jolted from for sleepy daze and sat up quickly.Hisfirst thought was that Howl had returned and without thinking he yelled, "Master Howl!" The excitement that risen in his chest died sadly when he saw that the magical door was open and but that Howl was no where to be seen. All Markl could see beyond the open door was inky blackness, and then the door swung slowly closed of it's own accord.

Markl blinked. That had to be one of the strangest things that had ever happened in the castle, and that was saying something considering its residents.

Thinking that the door was malfunctioning, Markl approached the entrance. Nothing appeared to be out of sorts, but he crouched down to look at the hinges all the same and it was then that he noticed a single black feather lying on the ground in front of the door.

(A/N: I'm sorry if it feels sluggish. Things will really get underway in the next chapter, I promise. I felt like I couldn't have them all going, "OMG, he's been captured!" without having evidence or letting some time go by.

But wow, guys. Ten reviews for one chapter? That's a record for me and to be honest it makes me a little paranoid. When ever I write another chapter I worry about whether or not you guys will like it. It also happens every time I try to complete my book -shrug-. Instead of writer's block, paranoia is what slows me down. Strange, huh? As long as I'm confident I can chug out a decent chapter within a day of the last update.

Anyway, I have oodles of people to thank and I need to get going on that.

**-Safety Pin-** I agree, I've always wanted a little brother! But then, my friend has a two year old brother and needless to say after watching him run around all day like he's fire, is slowly killing the urge ;;;;. Thanks for reviewing!

**-foxmagic-** Thanks you for the encouragement! I certainly appreciate it -grin-.

**-Minchi-** Thanks -gives a cookie-! I hope you liked Chapter 2 as well 3.

**-SAGA123-** Thank you! Here's wishing the technology faeries will grant you a new computer! -sprinkles glitter everywhere-. God knows they've abandoned me -grumbles-. When I see those darn faeries again, I'm going to sic my terrier on them. What? Puppy kisses can be mentally scarring you know.

**-Nienna-** I've already thanked you in person :P. No cookies for you! -cackles evilly-.

**-AstrumL-** I hope I haven't disappointed you ;;;. Thank you for your kind word, and I hope you'll continue to tell me what you think. Thanks again.

**-KittySamurai506-** Thank you for saying so! I do love Markl but could you imagine actually having him as a brother? Oh, the stunts he could pull with his magic. Scary!

**-modernday austen-** Thank you for reviewing! It means a lot to me that you'd take time out of your day to encourage me. I hope you continue to read my story, and thanks again.

**-SilverMoons BlackWings- **If you mean that Howl is hot, I agree! Christian Bale gave him such a scrumptious voice. Of course now I can't hear Christian Bale's voice without wanting to 'glomp' him. I'm not sure what a 'churr' is, but it seems like a good response! -Laugh-. Thanks for reviewing!

**-Dencente Renko-** Heh, to hear that kind of praise makes me very happy. I hope you never have to wait _too_ long between chapters. I'm usually pretty speed when it comes to posting. Of course, I wouldn't be able to manage it without people like you helping me. Thanks for your kind words!)

-EDIT- I changed the last few paragraphs. As I was reading itonline I saw several mistakes that bothered me. Why is it that I never catch these things till _after_ I post? Ah well.Oh,and there is one more review response added in.


	3. Tears and Illness

CHAPTER 3- Tears and Illness

Markl had pocketed the feather, deciding it would be best to keep it to himself. It would only make Sophie worry more. It was the last thing they needed at that point. What good would worrying do, anyway? Though he loved Sophie, he just didn't understand her species. Women. And the little tingles in his stomach certainly weren't what he'd call worry. No ser re.

The morning flew by, what with the constant rush of customers and Calcifer to talk to. The potions, healing spells, and herbs were running awfully low though. It was Howl's routine to look at what orders had come in that day, whip them up with a speed that dazzled Markl, and then spend the rest of the day doing what ever he pleased. Recently much of his free time was spent with Sophie, but that was no great surprise.

With Howl gone, the orders were piling up and they only continued to grow. A jolt a fear went through him as a thought occurred to him. What if Howl never came back? He had said he was the man of the house. Did that mean he was leaving Markl in charge permanently?

But… but he still didn't know how to do so many things! He couldn't even shape shift yet. Howl had told him years ago that if he wanted to be his apprentice then he had to wait till he turned fifteen before even trying it, or else Howl would refuse him his teachings. Markl's lower lip began to quiver.

And he certainly couldn't mix all those potions without a little help. Okay, a lot of help. And he didn't know where Howl found and grew many of the herbs he used in his curatives. And he didn't know how to read or write any of the ancient languages that Howl could. Suddenly the most horrible feeling of utter helplessness overwhelmed him and large fat tears started to roll down his face.

When he started his hiccup and sob, Calcifer looked at Markl, stunned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are the crocodile tears for? Was a customer cruel to you? Bring the old fart in here and I'll give him a heart attack." He said, beginning to swell with anger.

"N-n-noooo." He stuttered, wiping at his eyes trying to make the tears stop falling. "I w-w-was j-just thinking what if M-m-m-master-"

"Okay, okay, don't hurt yourself, kid. First you need to calm down. Go wipe your face with a wet paper towel and get a glass of water."

Markl continued to sniffle and hiccup, but he complied. After he'd wiped his hot face with a wet paper towel and blew his nose, he began to feel better. By the time he was seated in front of Calcifer with a cool glass of water, only his red eyes, nose, and pounding head, were evidence that he'd been crying.

"Now, tell me what all that commotion was about." Calcifer said soothingly.

Markl took a deep breathe and said, "I was thinking that maybe Master Howl has left us for good. He didn't tell us where he was going and he did say I'm "the man of the house". Does that mean he expects me to take over his stores for him? But I can't do that because Master Howl hasn't taught me how to mix potions yet or how to read the ancient languages or-"

"Okay, okay, I get the gist. Firstly let me say that it's too soon to start thinking that Howl has abandoned us. It's more likely that he's been caught up in whatever "business" he had to deal with. If we don't hear from him in the next few days, it'll be safe to say that's he's in trouble, not frolicking around."

Markl remembered the feather and pulled it out of his pocket. He decided it was safe to tell Calcifer, if he told anyone. After he had finished describing the strange behavior with the door, Calcifer was looking grim.

"If that really happened then Howl is definitely in danger. I don't know if you know this but Howl put safe guard the door after the curse was broken. It bars anyone who is not in Howl's inner circle from getting in. Anyone who forces their way through won't actually reach those of us who are here. All an intruder will find beyond the door will be an empty room. So if one of Howl's feathers reached us, then it's a message."

Markl looked down at the feather in his hands, "What are we going to tell Sophie?"

Before Calcifer could respond Hein ran into the room, his paws making rapid clicking noises on the wooden floor. He stared at Markl and Calcifer, barked wheezily and then ran back up the stairs, pausing half way to wheeze and bark again.

"Oh! I think he wants me to follow him." Markl said, sliding off the chair and ran after Hein, who lead him to Sophie's room. Hein pushed the door open with his nose and Markl stared inside, wide eyed.

Sophie lay in bed, looking deathly pale, covered in sweat. The Witch of the Waste sat in a chair to Sophie's bed, and used a cool cloth to wipe Sophie's hot face.

"Howl?" Sophie muttered weakly, trying to sit up. But a look of pain flew across her features and she clutched at her chest.

"No, Sophie, its Markl." The Witch corrected softly.

"Oh." She muttered, "Hello Markl. Have you eaten lunch yet?" She asked.

"Don't worry about me!" He exclaimed, running to her side, "What's wrong? You're sick?"

The Witch nodded, "Very sick. I've seen this only once before, and she… she didn't survive it."

A look of horror on his face, Markl ran to the door, "Well, Sophie will! I'll get the doctor!"

"Markl!" The Witch called after him.

H ran back into the room, skidding a little to stop, "What?" He asked looking annoyed.

"A doctor won't be able to help her. Only Howl can. You have to bring him back here as soon as possible." She said, quietly.

"But- But I don't know where he went!" He said,

"That shouldn't stop you. You're the only one capable of locating him now."

Markl's fist tightened on the feather, and in that moment he hated Howl for leaving Sophie right when she needed him. It couldn't be helped. He _would_ find his master and he _would_ drag him back here and make him help Sophie. If he had been captured, then he was stupid and Markl would just have to save him. If he had left them, then Markl would kick his butt for being _extremely_ stupid and make him come home. That's was all there was to it.

"Fine." He said with determination burning in his eyes. "I'm leaving right now then." He turned to go.

"Markl?" Sophie said softly, and Markl turned back and went to her side. Concerned, he told her cool hand and held onto it with his smaller warm one.

"You haven't brushed your teeth yet today, have you?" She said, smiling through the fever.

Markl laughed shakily, "No. No, I haven't. But I will. Don't worry."

Sophie closed her eyes, smiling gently, "You always… say that, Markl." Then her grip loosened as she fell into a deep exhausted sleep.

Markl felt more tears welling up, but he angrily brushed them away. He was a man now. Howl had said so. Even though Markl was mad at him, he still looked up to him and believed what he told him. Men didn't cry.

He went downstairs and told Calcifer about Sophie, describing her symptoms and what the Witch had told him. Calcifer nodded, "I know what it is, and the Witch is right. You have to find Howl. You have a one in four chance of picking the door Howl went through. I think you should come back every night, to rest and eat. You're only searching for Howl not going on a perilous quest that'll last for years."

Markl rolled his eyes, "I know! I want to talk to Madame Suliman first. She might know where Howl is, that or it's her that has him."

Hein galloped down the stairs and stared at Markl. He sneezed, then wheezed so heavily it made him slide back a few inches.

"What?" He asked Hein.

Hein coughed.

"I think I get it. You want to come with me?" Markl asked.

Hein scampered over to the door and waited for him to open it.

Calcifer shook his head, "I don't know how you can understand that fur ball."

Markl's brow wrinkled, "Sophie understands Hein, too."

Calcifer shrugged, "You had better get going."

Markl looked at the door and gulped. Suddenly the door looked very large and ominous. It never looked so big when he opened it to customers or went to the market with Sophie. His adrenaline pumping, he pulled on his cloak which doubled as traveling wear as well as a disguise and turned the wheel to the color which would lead to the big city and palace where Madame Suliman lived.

Licking his dry lips, he tugged the door open. He and Hein went through it, ready to face the most intimidating grandma on this side of the globe.

(A/N: Mwahahahaha! Take THAT Suliman! I didn't like her very much at all. Can you tell? XD That's what I thought when I saw her, "I bet some poor kid someone has to tell his friends he has the scariest grandma in the world."

Oh, before I forget: Have a great July fourth everyone!

Anyway, thanks for reviewing everyone! It really puts an extra hitch in my giddy. Blech, what a bad saying! But I had to get it out of my system.

**-ChildlikeEmpress-** Thank you . I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint you.

**-Camery-** My plot is thickening? -Checks- So it is. That's a relief. I was sure it'd stay watery through out the whole story, but I'll take you at your word ;). Thanks for reviewing.

**-Decente Renko-** Wow! What flattery. Thank you so much for reviewing. I hope you liked this chapter.

**-Fire Spirit-** Well…no. If you read this chapter you probably already know that . Thanks for reviewing!

**-Safety Pin-** I remember that part! I think I was in shock, though, that the hero of the movie was throwing a temper tantrum over the color of his hair. Thanks for responding .

**-nefi-** -laugh- It's good to see that you're so enthusiastic about my story. And thank you for saying that. It makes me feel like glowing. Have a cookie. Thanks for reviewing!

**-foxmagic-** It's good to know I'm not alone out there. You summed up everything I was thinking so eerily well, that I was saying aloud, "EXACTLY!" at the end of every sentence. And my parents were worried about me before. Glomping is fun, by the way ;). My friends say that they have to be on the lookout for me ("Glomp Watches"), because I glomp without warning –whistles innocently-… Who am I kidding? I can't even whistle, -puts on devil horns and plays horse shoes with the halo-.

**-Weaver Goddess-** Thanks! I worry about whether or not I stay in character sometimes. It's inevitably at times, but still. Thank you for reviewing!

**-Tokyogirl12-** Thanks for reviewing, and you'll have to wait and see if he makes it. Actually I don't even know for sure. It'll depend on my mood. Mwahaha!)


	4. The Trouble with Adults

CHAPTER 4- The trouble with Adults

Hein turned out to quite the life saver. Once Markl had gotten out onto the main streets, he realized he'd never been to the palace. Sophie had only told him what it looked like and what had happened inside, not how to get there. He tried asking directions but no one would stop long enough to actually listen to him. He puffed out his chest, ready to walk around the whole city in search of that blasted palace, when Hein looked at him pointed and wheezed as if he were sending out a Morse code message.

"You know that way? Oh, yeah! You used to live there, huh Hein? Lead the way!"

Hein waddled off and Markl followed, trusting the pooch's sense of direction. It proved to be a wise move because after a few blocks the palace came into view.

Markl grinned, "Hein, you're amazing!"

He wheezed his agreement.

Markl drew closer to the stairs that lead to the palace. They were like a miniature mountain in scale and he had to tilt his head back to see the top of them. He sighed and with a grunt picked up Hein, scaling each step one at a time. Needless to say after much time, huffing, puffing and whatnot they reached the top. Markl had to sit down and catch his breath, while Hein rolled himself onto his feet.

Markl clambered back up and approached the large front doors. But before he'd even taken three steps a guard slid in front of him and the door.

"Son, do you have business here at the palace?"

"I have to talk to Madame Suliman." Markl said bluntly.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Well… no."

"Then you aren't allowed inside."

Markl's mouth dropped open, "But! But it's really important!"

"I'm sorry, but you need to have an appointment."

Markl turned around away from the guard with a sour look on his face. Then as an idea came to him, a sly smile crept around the corners of his mouth. Once the guard had turned his back to Markl, he hid behind a column. He slipped the hood over his face and meandered over to the door. Once again the guard stepped between him and the door.

"What's the meaning of this?" He said in a low grumpy voice. "If you don't get out of my way sonny, I'll put a hex on your whole family till you learn better manners."

The guard gaped at him, but then seemed to recover, "Ah, do you have an appointment, sir?"

"Appointment? Bah, I don't need no appointment to see my own sister, do I?"

The guard paled, "You're M-madame Suliman's brother?"

"You don't say. I didn't know that." He said, sullenly. "Now move or I'll make good on my word about that hex."

The guard stumbled over himself to move aside. As Markl stood in front of the door, he looked back pointedly at the guard. "Well? Aren't you going to help an old man with his cumbersome door?"

The guard ran over and pushed the door open for him. Markl nodded, "Now that's more like it." Hein scampered in after Markl as the door closed.

Markl snickered and said in his normal voice, "Too easy." And left the hood up, thinking it'd be a good idea in case any other guards decided to be a bother.

Hein once again proved useful, as he lead him straight to the solarium where Madame Suliman spent a good amount of her time. A benign looking old woman in a wheel chair was speaking to a boy with straight blond hair. As Markl took a few steps into the room, the woman took notice and looked at him with what seemed like calm, gentle eyes. Her eyes fell to Hein, and her lips twitched. But Hein didn't distract her for long because soon Madame Suliman's eyes were focused on him again.

"That's a very good disguise. I suppose you used it to get past my guards? They are rather full of themselves, aren't they?" A chair appeared out of no where. "Come sit. If you took this much time getting up the stairs and tricking my guards then you must have a very good reason for being here."

Markl gulped, walked completely into the room a little nervously and sat down.

"If you'd be so kind to take down that clever disguise you could have tea with me." Another boy, identical to the one speaking with Madame Suliman before, appeared with a tray of cups and a kettle. "Was it a gift from Howl?"

He gasped and took down his hood, "How do you know that? Did Howl tell you? Is he here?"

"I have informants circling around. Some not as loyal as others." With this she glanced at Hein. He snorted at her. "Howl is not here." She said absently, taking a cup from the tray and sipping it delicately.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Markl asked, looked suspicious.

Rather than becoming angry at his questioning of her honor, she smiled, "You don't. But if you spend too much time being wary of those that are innocent, then you won't find Howl as quickly as you'd like."

Markl looked down at his feet. "Okay." He muttered, swinging them a little, "Say you don't have Master Howl. Do you know where he might be?"

She chuckled, "So you've misplaced the playboy, then?"

Markl choked down a smarmy retort, and repeated, "Do you know where he might be?"

She appeared to consider it this time, "I don't, to be honest. But I might be able to tell you were he's _not_."

Markl scowled at her, "What good would that do?"

"Why, you wouldn't waste precious time searching the places where he isn't."

"How do I know you won't tell me he isn't somewhere, when he really is there?" Markl stood and shot back.

She smiled, "Despite popular belief, I have never wanted the worst for my old apprentice. If I can help you locate him, then we can stop his suffering before it starts, correct?"

Markl plopped back down. "I suppose so." He muttered.

"Now my services come at a price."

Markl looked suspicious again, "What kind of price?"

"Nothing unachievable, I assure you. Because you are in a time crunch, I will accept my payment after you've found Howl."

Markl had no choice. He _had_ to find Master Howl as quickly as possible. He nodded jerkily.

She smiled, looking pleased, and asked one of the boys to bring her something. After a moment, he ran back to her, carrying what looked like a very heavy glass ball on a velvet cushion. She placed in her lap, and a moment later, pictures that were distorted to Markl filled the ball. Madame Suliman seemed to follow it all perfectly well and by the time the pictures had stopped flashing, she wasn't looking quite as pleased.

"According to our bargain, I will tell you where Howl isn't. He isn't in this city. Nor is he in the Wastes. That leaves one other logical area that he could be."

"There's more, isn't there?" Markl said, frowning. "You saw more than you're telling me."

She nodded, "Very observant of you. But I can't tell you any of it because you can not afford it."

Markl saw red, "Well, put me to work later, and I'll work off what I owe you!"

She shook her head and said firmly, "You _cannot_ afford it. I'm sorry."

Markl grit his teeth and looked down at his feet, "Thank you for your help, Madame Suliman." He said grudgingly. As much as he hated to admit it she had helped him. He knew where he had to go next.

"Don't thank me, till after you've paid my price. Now shoo. I've told you all can and it's almost dinner time."

Markl turned and walked away, while putting his hood back on. As Hein followed he stuck his tongue out at Madame Suliman, who smiled in amusement.

"It was good to see you again, too Hein." Her words followed them as left the solarium then the palace.

(A/N: I hope everyone liked this chapter. Personally, I think Hein rocks as much as Markl. I briefly thought about Suliman's payment being for her to have her favorite spy back, but I thought that would be too cruel. I can't let her have my Hein! huggles plushy. So I've thought up something much worse, that pertains to Markl. You'll see -evil grin-.

Anyways, onward to reviewers responses!

**-SAGA123-** Have fun in Hawaii! I'd be bouncing off the walls. Hawaii has beautiful views and awesome weather. I'm so jealous . Thanks for reviewing and hopefully when you get back, there'll be a couple new chapters of my story to read .

**-Dencente Renko-** You're so sweet! You and foxmagic are so nice to me. Thanks for reading my fiction . I'm really glad that you're enjoying it!

**-Zimmergirl-** Last time I checked, I have no intentions of letting this fic go stale! I'm really surprised that I've gotten such wonderful responses, though. My other fiction "The Beginning" was originally what I was going to be working on the most, but then y'all had to go and make me change my mind . Thanks for reviewing!

**-foxmagic-** I'll make sure he's well equipped. No worries. I'm glad you liked my last chapter. This one isn't half bad, either -grin-. Thanks for reviewing! -is now awaiting my chapterly glomping-.

**-Weaver Goddess-** I've been trying to get my hands on that book. I know it'll be different from the movie but that's a good thing. I think Howl originally is trying to hook up with one of Sophie's sisters XD. Thanks for reviewing!

**-SilverMoons BlackWings-** Ah, I get it now . I have a friend who does a "snorgle". She says it's a geeky cross between chuckle and a snort -laugh-. But yes, Howl is delectable, isn't he? Heh, I just get the urge to hide him away from everyone else in a cupboard somewhere, and snarl at anyone who comes near, "MINE." -laugh-. Thanks for reviewing!

**-Fire Spirit-** Maybe he will… maybe he won't. Does that answer your question? -evil laugh- Sorry, but I'm an elusive little creature. Keep reading and all will be answered in time. Ouuuh, see how Yoda I went there? Scary. Thanks for reviewing .


	5. Nightmares

CHAPTER 5- Nightmares

That evening Markl returned to the castle, Hein in tow, looking none too pleased. For the first time since coming to live with Howl in his castle, he didn't feel like going back. The front room would feel cold an empty without Sophie there, waiting to welcome him back. He felt like a failure returning without Howl. What was worse, he knew each day that he failed, Sophie would get worse.

"I take it that things didn't go well?" Calcifer asked from the hearth.

Markl sighed, sitting down in front of him, "It was… okay. It could have gone better. Like for instance, I could have found Howl and Sophie wouldn't be suffering."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, kid. Tell me about what happened."

Markl did, relaying what Suliman had told him about Howl's whereabouts and how he owed her some kind of payment.

"Payment? That can't be good, can it? I think you're under the misguided impression that she'll ask for money. Oh no. She can ask for anything you own or any services you can perform and be within her rights to ask for it until she sees your debt as fulfilled."

Markl waved his hand dismissively, "Once Master Howl has returned he'll take care of it."

Calcifer let the matter slide. It wasn't exactly the highest thing on their priority list. "So you're going to Kingsbury tomorrow to visit Turnip Head?"

"It's the only other place in the continent that he could be. If he's not there, then I'll just have to go over the seas and search for him." Markl said rather confidently.

Calcifer said nothing. It would only upset and pressure him to state the obvious. If Howl wasn't in Kingsbury then it would be over. The Witch has come down earlier and told Calcifer the news. Sophie only had three days left, then even Howl wouldn't be able to save her. Markl shuffled off to bed, but Calcifer remained awake far into the night.

-

Markl was drifting. He felt so warm and safe. As if he was in a cocoon of security. He felt weightless and floated in a sleepy haze. He never wanted to leave. It was so wonderful, feeling safe. If only he could stay here forever.

A niggling feeling in his mind, in his soul, cried out at the idea. He couldn't stay. He had something important to do. What was it that he had to do? He couldn't remember. All he wanted was to drift away again.

A faint sound in the distance spoke to him. He felt drawn to it. What was it? How could he describe it? It was… compelling… and dark. He should forget. Whatever it was that he had to do, _surely_ couldn't be as important staying in that safe warm place. Yes. He should forget everything.

It was a completely different sound that brought him further to his senses. It was sorrowful, full of pain and anger. Why did it sound so familiar? Why did hearing it make him so sad? It _hurt_ him to listen to it.

With a jolt he surfaced from the thrall and remembered Sophie. She was sick. She needed him! And Howl. Where was Howl? What had become of him? He needed him, too!

He felt the compelling darkness attempt to pull him under into oblivion again. He jerked away from the thrall of the captivating blackness and a strange light surrounded him, chasing the darkness temporarily away.

Where was he? He became frantic. What was this place that he seemed bound to? The light that had surrounded him was fading fast.

With a sudden clarity he knew that he would not be able to fight the darkness without it. But how did he know that and where was this strange light coming from? He felt the compulsion of the dark voice pull harder at him and his heart began to pound. He didn't have much time.

He looked around him and saw a speck of light in the distance. Hope filled him. If he could reach that light before his own went out, then he'd be safe. He was sure of it.

Tentatively he took a step in the direction of the light, hoping the light around him would follow. When it did, Markl burst toward the light as fast as he could. The black followed, as he knew it would.

But now every particle of his being was focused on reaching that little speck of light. As he neared it, the light around him seemed to fall away. His fingertips caressed the rim of light surrounding the speck, and broke through.

He fell forward and found himself in a room with cold wooden floors. The sorrowful sound he'd heard earlier was all around him. He looked up and his eyes widened in shock. He was in Sophie's room. A man was sitting on the edge of her bed, and Sophie's hand seemed to be clasped in both of his. That sound, that feeling, was radiating from every pore in his skin

It was Howl.

He held her hand to his cheek and the sound echoed more forcefully around the room. Markl stood slowly and approached Howl and Sophie. But something was wrong. Sophie wasn't breathing. Horror and shock speared him.

Howl looked up, disgust and hatred on his face, "How could you?" He asked a snarl on his lips.

"I-I-I-." Markl stuttered, tears filling his eyes. How could she be dead? He choked on his tears, barely able to breathe.

"How could you let Sophie die? Why didn't you do something!" Howl roared, standing up. He advanced on Markl, a deadly look on his face.

Markl's legs gave out on him and he collapsed to the ground. Darkness closed in on him, and his last image was of Howl reaching for him.

-

Markl sat bolt upright in his bed. His heart felt as if it were about to burst, and he was covered in sweat. It…it had been a dream? He was shaking from head to toe. It had seemed so real. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. He didn't think he'd ever fall asleep again.

A/N: Poor Markl. I'm not being mean. Really, I'm not. I do have a point to this and hopefully most of you will notice it. Let me just say this… that was one wicked nightmare, huh?

But I won't start rambling on you. Here are reviewer responses. Be warned that I refuse to answer any questions that relate to the plot of MR. Like good little detectives you'll have to figure things out for yourself. Of course I'm always delighted to see that I've got the gears in your minds turning. Thank you for being so loyal everyone. It means a lot to me!

**-Decente Renko-** Sorry that this chapter didn't come so quickly. I went on a book run (meaning my Mom took me to buy a bunch as really great books) so I've been in my own little slice of heaven for the past few days. Of course because I've been reading, I haven't been writing. -sweatdrop- Sorry again, and thanks for reviewing!

**-foxmagic-** Again I feel guilty about not getting this up sooner T.T. I'll try to get the next chapter up quickly, but I alternate between this story and one other. Then of course I had to go and add one more to the rotation -sweatdrop-. I'm glad you think I've gotten a hang of using cliffies! Thank you for reviewing, it really does mean a lot to me.

**-SilverMoons BlackWings-** -Laugh-. Ah, the way of the spoork. It's quite the deadly weapon. No, really. You could put an eye out -cheesy grin-. Thanks for reviewing!

**-Weaver Goddess-** Heh, be glad you live near a bookstore. We only have a Sam Goody and of course they suck at ordering just about everything I would like to purchase. That's life -grin-. Thanks for reviewing, by the way!

**-Lady Moon Dragon-** Thank you! I do always worry about things like that. Thank you for the encouragement and the review. Oh, and as to why Howl left, all I'm going to say is that all loose ends will be tied in the end.

**-SAGA123-** Heh, I notice all of you, dear Saga. And I appreciate all that you do. Thanks.

**-candidus-lupus-full Moon-** Hey, if you take the 'U' and 'S' out of lupus and add an 'A', then you get my name! Err, not really, but you get the name I wish I had! T.T. Thanks for reviewing.

**-The Original Safety Pin-** I know what you mean, and I totally agree. Thanks for reviewing so faithfully! You rock .

**-Inuyashafaneva-** Aww, thanks! You'll have to continue reading to find your answers, though! Thanks for taking the time to review!

**-Nightfall2525-** You'll have to follow the story in order to find out. Thanks for reviewing!

**-MysticElf4-** I like Howl and Sophie pretty equally. Mainly because I relate to Sophie so much and because Howl is so hot, -laugh-. I hope you'll continue to read. Thanks for the review!

**-Jasmemini-** It'll all become clear in the end, I promise. Thanks for guessing, though. It makes me really glad to see that you like my story enough to come up with a theory like that! Thanks so much!


	6. Finding Prince Justin

Foreword- Don't go getting excited about the length. Most of this chapter is me ranting and reviewer responses. I can't seem to bring myself to stop doing reviewer responses. I have to thank those that have been so wonderful in encouraging me to write.

CHAPTER 6- Finding Prince Justin

Markl got out of bed and dressed when the sun came up. Any earlier and Calcifer would know something was up. Markl was almost sure that his talents did _not _lie in the prophetic dreams category, so he saw no reason to worry Calcifer with it. Still, he couldn't shake the image of a deceased Sophie from his mind's eye. It made him feel weak and sick to this stomach every time he thought about it.

And Master Howl's anger… that alone proved the dream wouldn't come true. Even if he did- Markl swallowed with difficulty- fail to save Sophie, Howl would never hurt him. He shivered. No, Master Howl would never hurt him.

Before going downstairs he went to Sophie's room. Logically, he knew it had been a dream. But seeing Sophie alive and well was the only thing at that point that could banish that awful picture from his thoughts and ease his mind. He wanted to see her breathing, warm, happy and smiling at him. For now he would have to be happy with just the breathing part. The smiling and what not would have to wait till after he'd brought Master Howl back.

Markl entered Sophie room quietly, lest he wake her. Hein slept on the foot of her bed, and was probably there in case her conditioned worsened. Markl could hear the Witch's snore in the room next to Sophie's. Hein's ears pricked when he heard Markl enter. Markl put one finger to his mouth, in the universal sign of "Be quiet.". Hein laid his head back down on his paws, tail thumping happily.

Markl sat down in the chair beside Sophie's bed, and held the slim hand that was resting on top of the bedspread. Her breathing was very shallow. She was so pale that she was nearly translucent. But she _was _breathing. He could see the sheets rise and fall gently with each breath. He sighed in relief, a great weight lifting from his shoulders. As long as Sophie kept breathing, there was still hope. The sooner Markl found Master Howl the better.

A new determination filled him. He was going to save Sophie. He knew he would. The other scenario he'd dreamed about simply wasn't an option anymore. He gently laid her hand back down on the covers. He made to leave the room, and just as he stepped out, he turned back to whisper, "I'm going to save you Sophie. I promise." With that, he partially closed her door and went downstairs.

-

"Now remember what I said."

Markl sighed, "I won't forget! Stop nagging." He fastened his cloak securely around his neck.

"Fine! When you're some big bad wizard's lunch, you see if I care!" Calcifer huffed.

He grinned mischievously, "Now, don't go getting mad, Calcifer. It's just that you've mentioned that I need to be careful a million times already."

"Bah. Get going, brat."

Markl grinned again, feeling much better now that the dream was on it's way to becoming a distant memory. "Standby." He said, as he turned the color wheel to the Kingdom of Kingsbury and stepped out, letting the early morning light flood the room before closing it behind him, leaving the fire demon alone.

"Be careful, Markl." Calcifer said to the empty room, one more time, jusy for luck.

-

Once out in the open, Markl slipped on the hood of his cloak. He wasn't even going to bother trying to get directions as a child. Unfortunately it didn't seem like too many people respected children _or_ their elders.

"Excuse me." He said gruffly to a passing man. "Could you tell me how to find Prince Justin?" The man never even broke his stride to glance at him.

"Rude little whipper snappers." He muttered and tried again, but of course to no avail. He growled in frustration and decided to ask a shop keeper. One that couldn't run away from him. Just as he was about to select a store to ask, a soft tap on his shoulder drew his attention. He turned around to see that it was a girl about his own age. She was mostly covered in a cloak and hood of her own, but Markl could see that she was quite pretty. She had large bright blue eyes and silky looking blond hair that hung in delicate ringlets and curls around her heart-shaped angelic face.

"Do you need help, Sir?" She asked softly.

"Ah-I-ah-I-umm-." He stuttered in his normal voice. Coming to his senses, he cleared his throat and lowered his tone, "Why, yes. Thank you, young lady."

The girl blinked in confusion for a split second, before smiling knowingly. "Oh, I understand. You're a wizard aren't you?" She asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Markl was taken aback and stunned speechless.

The girl giggled, "I'm right, aren't I? You're a wizard, right?"

"Yeah, I am." Markl took down his hood, "How'd you know that?"

"Well, it wasn't hard. You gave yourself away when you stuttered."

Markl's ears turned red and he muttered, "Whatever." Then quickly changed the subject, "Do you know the way to Prince Justin?"

She nodded, "Follow me. I'll lead you there." Then turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

Markl hesitated for a moment, then shrugged to himself. She knew probably knew the area better than he did. What could it hurt? He followed her as she weaved in and out of the crowd confidently. A man suddenly stepped in front of her and she bumped into him.

"Oh, excuse me-." He grabbed her shoulders and the girl looked up at the man in confusion. Markl saw her eyes widen and she quickly attempted to pull away from the man. But it only proved to be useless struggling as the man's grip remained firm.

"I thought that was you! What on earth were-." He man started to say before a miniature bull plowed into him and forced him to fall back on his butt. Markl didn't care who he was, only that the girl didn't want him holding on to her. The solution? Make the man let go. Markl nearly fell over himself, from the force at which he'd tattled the man.

The girl had one hand held over her mouth, eyes still wide. He righted himself, grabbed the girl's wrist and ran, dragging her until she got the idea. Together they hurtled down the street till Markl spotted an inconspicuous alley to duck into. They were both breathing heavily from the sprint, bent over with stitches in their sides. Markl looked over at her and grinned, proud of himself for rescuing her, but his grin faded when he saw the distressed look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed, "Nothing. It's just that I'm in big trouble and I regret it a little."

Markl remained silent for moment. "Are you a criminal? If you are, I don't care. You can come live with me and everyone else at my house." He offered, referring to the castle as a house for simplicities sake.

She laughed, "I'm not a criminal. Don't worry about that. But I don't think my parents would let me live with you and your family.

"Oh." He said, then shrugged, "I'm Markl, by the way."

"I'm Jessica. Nice to meet you, Markl." She reached out and they shook hands formally.

"Is it safe to keep going?" He asked.

"You still want me to take you to the palace?" She asked, looking surprised.

"Sure. But only if it's safe for you. You might not be a criminal, but it looks like some people are after you."

She didn't say anything, only looked down at her shoes. Markl walked to the edge of the alley and peeked around the corner. There was no sign of the man, so he motioned for Jessica to follow. They left the alley and Jessica once again assumed the role of guide, leading him around the city, on what he presumed, what was the shortest path to the palace. In no time the palace loomed into view. Markl grinned. He had a good feeling about this. He knew by coming here that he had come one step closer to finding Howl and, more importantly, saving Sophie.

(A/N: Gah! Can't a girl eat a cookie in peace anymore? The answer is no. I have two terriers (I've most likely mentioned it before) and they think they're human. Seriously. I was trying to take a couple chocolate chip cookies and milk to my room and the fat one (Maggie) started following me. I made sure they were hidden behind my back but somehow she just knows I have something she wants (though those wonderful doggy senses of hers).

I walked down that hall and I hear that jingle jangle from her collar as she follows at my heels. I stop, she stops. I turn around to tell her I don't have anything to eat (I lie to them and they believe me most of the time XD) and to go see Mom. I continue down the hallway, and of course I still hear the jingle jangle. I swing around to tell her to go see Mom once more and at the same time hold my hand inside the door of my room so she can't see the cookies. I turn away from her and look down at the floor of my room and there's Jiggs (the hyper one that gets an insane amount of pleasure from giving random people puppy kisses). He's staring at the cookies hanging above him, still in my hand, and I swear you could literally almost hear him say, "Score!". Of course, now Maggie is in on it, because he tells her everything. Tattle tail.

For some reason I had it in my head that Suliman and the Prince live in different places. I'm really sorry if that isn't the case, but the way I've set it up suits the purpose of my story, and frankly, it's too late to change now.

I've also divided the HMC world into sections, continents if you will. In the main continent where this story is based, the door opens to four places: Imperia, Kingsbury, Wastes and Howl's childhood home. Imperia is a name I made up (but I think it's also a town in Italy somewhere) and it's where Suliman is located. Kingsbury is, I believe, the name of the city where Prince Justin lives. I apologize to those that have read the book. I'm sure this way clashes with how Ms. Jones set it up. sigh I want that book so badly! I could kill Jamie (she got a hold of a copy already)!

But moving on…20 reviews… for one chapter! O.O It just hit me today. Logically I knew that my last chapter had gotten a large number of reviews, but man, I was blown away again when I looked up my stats so I could write reviewer responses. The 1000 hit mark was passed quite a long time ago as well. There are about 1200 hits now. I'm so grateful! Thank you!

**-Kiyuu-Chan-** Thanks for the info. I had heard that was his name in other fictions circling around, but it's always good to have confirmation .. Thanks for reviewing!

**-Inuyashafaneva-** Yay, I can make up scary nightmares! Is that a good thing? O.o. I can't tell. I think I'm going to assume that it is, for sanities sake. Thanks for the review!

**-Weaver Goddess-** Heh, I am evil, aren't I? And I continue the madness by making this chapter only slightly longer! Mwahahahaha -cough-hack-dies-comes back from the dead- I live in a middle-of-no-where-town in southern Indiana. I could walk to Kentucky if so inclined. But I'm not XD. Thanks for reviewing!

**-SAGA123-** Thanks for saying so .. It's nice to hear that. It gives me that extra boost that I need sometimes.

**-foxmagic-** Yes! More glompage! I think I got this in sooner than the last chapter. I don't know:3. You've been awesome the way you've reviewed every chapter. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much .

**-Decente Renko-** He is a tough little guy, huh? I think the situation is forcing him to grow up quickly, but he can handle it. He's always been fairly self sufficient anyway. I love books. Have you read John Grisham? I don't like all of his books but I recommend The Pelican Brief and The Brethren. It's got great plots and subtle humor. Best combination in my opinion. I warn you though, it's not light reading. You have to pay close attention or you'll miss out on a lot.

**-Safety Pin-** I've had a night terror before. Not fun. Very different from nightmares. With night terrors you wake up screaming. I suppose Markl came close to a night terror, except he didn't scream and it wasn't gory. Can't be traumatizing the younger readers, you know. I don't know if Markl will find Howl in time. Maybe he will, maybe he won't ;). Thanks for the review!

**-Mag Carter-** Oh, thank you! That means a lot to me. I'm sorry, I usually never know what to say when someone gives me a compliment like that . I also want to buy all her books, but when I went to Walden's they didn't have her! The horror!

**-Yarrie-** Heh, thanks. I love that. Be careful, or my head might explode from bloating, though –cheeky grin-.

**-Jessi Tsuki-** Gah, I want the book so bad . . And the sequel. I want that too. Two more books to add to the hundreds that I have already, o.O. Thanks for reviewing!

**-candidus-lupus-full Moon-** You rock, too . Thanks for the review…. O.O. Did I just…rhyme? –Chokes and dies on the lameness of it all-.

**-SilverMoons BlackWings-** Wow, it's getting exciting? Really? No, seriously? Okay, now I'm freaking out because I thought it was getting boring and that you're all just giving me pity reviews because you feel sorry for the pathetic little boring girl, o.O. Anyway, your mom is going to fry you for those gouges you're putting in the table with that spork :3. Thanks for the review!

**-Telmarine-** You read all five chapters…at once? Wow. I always thought that you needed to hook oodles of people by Ch. 2, then hope it's enough people so that other people will go, "Look, she has more than one review. She must not suck. Let's read and praise her as our new god!" -ahem- Oh, something like that -cheesy grin-. I wonder why I've never thought of Markl as a secondary character? Hmm, good question… But thank you for reviewing! You're too kind ..

**-Gacknohime-** Oh, thank you! I'm glad you like it so much. I never thought this many people would like it to this degree. It's an awesome feeling!

**-Nekea- **Thank for your kind words. I feel like I don't deserve them! I hope I continue to delight you in future chapters.

**-Master and Commander-** Here's more to enjoy! I hope you like it . Thanks for the review! By the way, Green Day and Simple Plan rock my world :3.

**-Nightfall2525-** Maybe he will, maybe he won't :3. I love saying that. Mainly because it's true. I have no idea, -hums happily in complete oblivion-. Thank you for the review.

**-Queen Azura-** I don't know how much longer this story will continue, but I hope you get to read the ending! Thanks for reviewing ..

**-Elyse3-** Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't remember that until you mentioned it, then I was like, "Ohhhhh, he did do that, didn't he?...Huh." -Laugh-. I'll be sure not to leave that out in the future without good reason. I'm glad you like it, and thanks for reviewing!)


	7. Sophie's Illness Revealed

Foreword- This chapter is dedicated to Arcane Legacy. I can't thank her enough for all the help she gave me on this chapter. She also probably vastly improved my plot for the rest of you by forcing me to think it all out -bows down to the great Arcane Legacy-. In layman's terms, I owe her. BIG time.

CHAPTER 7- Sophie's Illness Revealed

The castle that was Prince Justine's home was a grand one. It had dazzling aesthetics that made most people, even those that had no eye for art, stop at stare. It was made of a glossy stone that had a smooth satin sheen to it.

Markl could only wonder how many hours of work it would take the keepers of the castle to clean it. And all those windows! Each one was large and narrow. Some were made entirely of stained glass. It was quite a site and certainly a source of pride to the cities citizens to have such a grand center for their city.

Of course, Markl thought that without the gears, machinery and rust the castle was lacking the charm his own home had. In his opinion, no castle was better than his Master's. Markl glanced toward Jessica. She seemed to share his opinion of Turnip Head's home, as her expression was one of controlled distain. She turned to Markl, the expression fading from her face, and motioned toward the castle.

"Why do you want to see Prince Justine anyway?"

Markl shrugged, "I need to talk to him about something."

"Oh, okay, that wasn't at all vague." She said, rolling her eyes.

Markl couldn't keep the grin off his face, "Sorry, but I don't really feel like explaining it. It's a long story and we did just meet, after all."

She wrinkled her nose at him, "You're so secretive. Do I look like a spy or something?"

Markl chuckled at her and looked back toward the castle. The wind picked up and whipped at his clothes and hair. Jessica struggled a little for keep her hood up. It made him wonder again why those men had been after her. She didn't seem like a bad person, but then Madame Suliman didn't either. He shivered as the idea occurred to him. There was no way Jessica could be as bad as Madame Suliman. Even Suliman herself must have had to work the years to get so conniving and calculating. Besides, he got no bad feelings from her, no eerie vibes. No nothing.

"I don't know if you'll be able to get inside on your own. Ever since Prince Justine's curse has been broken, the guards rarely let any kind of witch or wizard inside, for any reason."

Markl frowned, "Then how-"

"I know a way." She interrupted. But before Markl could even open his mouth to respond, five men in black swarmed around them. In a matter of seconds they were effectively surrounded. Out the corner of his eye to his right, Markl could see that the man who had grabbed Jessica before was among them.

Jessica looked mildly disgruntled at the interruption, as if she weren't in mortal peril. The men took a tentative step inward, closing the gap between each other and lowering Markl's and Jessica's chances for escape.

It was all Markl could do from yelling at the men to leave them alone. He refrained, as he knew it would accomplish little, except make him look like a child. There had to be a way out of this. His eyes darted around quickly, searching for a wider gap between the men that he and Jessica could slip through.

"I don't suppose I could convince you gentlemen to stop pestering this lovely young lady and going about your business?" He asked casually, like he was having a pleasant conversation with a friend.

A man directly left of Markl laughed derisively. He was easily distinguishable between the other goons in black, being much broader and taller. He looked better suited for battling on a war front than chasing down a couple of eight year olds.

"She is our business. Did you really think it would be so easy?" He replied his voice deep and mocking. People were taking notice that something was going on in the middle of the street. Shoppers were looking on in interest.

Markl shrugged, again quite casual, "I wouldn't know until I tried, now would I?"

The man grinned wirily and, without almost any warning, lunged for Jessica, who screamed in surprise. The man who had grabbed Jessica before yelled out at the broad man to stop, but Markl couldn't hear him.

A strange feeling swelled inside him. It created a buzz in his ears that blocked out all sound. He could see the lips of the men moving, but could not hear them. He found himself straining to hold to hold on to the strange sensation. It was as if his body wasn't big enough to hold it. But then he remembered what his master had told him about magic and necessity. He let it go.

Without his will to hold the leash, the magic that had expanded inside him seemed to seep out of his very pores into the air around him. Everyone froze, apparently feeling the change in the atmosphere. His hearing returned. Then with a strange sucking sound, the five of their opponents flew five feet in the air, as if an invisible hand had given them a great shove. They hit the ground almost simultaneously and skidded on the cobblestone to lie unmoving several feet away from Markl and Jessica.

Taking the opportunity as it had presented itself, Markl grabbed the hand of a rather shocked looking Jessica, and took off down the street, away from the castle.

While Markl made yet another grand getaway, the conditions back home worsened. Calcifer was in his hearth (he was rarely elsewhere), thinking deeply about the circumstances. He wanted to believe with fiber of his being that Markl would return with Howl in time. But with each moment that ticked by, Calcifer found himself thinking of what alternate ending was in store for this fairy tale.

He found it was becoming more and more difficult to keep the castle moving. Although he was no longer connected to Howl intimately, being just a star was certainly a downgrade in power for him. He also couldn't tell were Howl was, or how he was.

The thick curtains were drawn, keeping day light out, so that Calcifer was the only light in the room. His flames created great shadows on the walls as they illuminated the fronts of various objects all around him. The stairs which led upstairs sighed softly as the Witch slowly made her way down them. With a heavy sigh, she settled into the chair into of Calcifer, her great body sagging over the sides a bit.

"How is she?" Calcifer asked pointlessly. He already knew the answer.

"Worse. Getting worse by the hour."

"You've seen a lot in your day. What is it?"

"I'm not sure." The Witch said tersely. "Whatever it is, it's not a normal illness. It feels like a draining spell, but it feels wrong. Almost too weak to be doing so much damage."

"Suliman's handiwork?"

The Witch smiled humorlessly. "You think I wouldn't recognize that old biddy's magic when I see it? Did you honestly forget that she was the one who sapped my powers before I came here?"

Calcifer snorted, "You're better off."

Silence fell, in which they both thought about any possible excuses for Howl's absence and Sophie's sickness.

"Is it possible that the spell isn't on Sophie, but Howl? And that he's somehow connected to her?" Calcifer said finally. "It would explain the potency, yet the weakness and our inability to remove it. Because there's nothing to remove."

"It… is possible." The Witch said slowly. "I'd rather not think it's that, though."

"Why?

"Because that would mean that Howl is inadvertently killing Sophie."

Calcifer didn't know how to respond to that, at first. The thought was just so ridiculous. "Howl wouldn't be so foolish. He loves Sophie."

"He may be unaware that he's even doing it." The Witch pointed out. "It's ingrained in us to survive, in whatever ways we can. As the one who gave him back his heart, Sophie is linked to him. She has life to share… it's a natural subconscious thought process."

"Don't be so callous." Calcifer snapped.

"I'm not." The Witch said, brusquely. "I'm being practical. And anyway, that's rich of you, calling me callous, considering the fact that you're a demon."

"Not anymore, I'm not." Calcifer replied back snottily.

"A technicality, I'm sure."

"Stop it, both of you." Said a voice from the banister.

"Sophie!" Calcifer called. "What are you doing up? You should be resting."

She walked down the stairs slowly, "According to the both of you, however, it seems little will be accomplished in the way of regaining health by merely resting."

The Witch hobbled over to her as quickly as she could, trying to offer some support. Sophie waved her away. "I'm not so sick that I need to lean on my elders."

"Sophie…" Calcifer said warningly.

She smiled and in that one grin was more determination and spunk than she'd shown in the entirety of the past two days. "Calcifer, please. This is nothing compared to being ninety years old. If I can live through that, then I can out live this."

"Which is exactly why you should save your strength to fight the spell, or illness, or whatever it is!" Calcifer continued.

"I'm not stupid, Calcifer. I have no intention of dying. Not while Howl is depending on me to help him through whatever or whoever has him. All we can do, really, is hope and pray for Markl's success." And somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt the presence of Howl… his warm hand caressing her cheek. And she knew somehow that no matter what happened, they'd be together.

(A/N: Yeah, I know. It's really corny. But hey, I'm really a romantic at heart. Sorry, this is so late. I got a hold of Harry Potter and I had to read it first. Priorities, you know. I finished it a while ago, and needless to say it was incredible. It wasn't my favorite book, though (that honor goes to book three). I'm a little (hah, a little) enraged about what happened in chapter 27. You know what I mean. I cried, I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's stupid, I know, but I feel closely connected to the HP world. Probably because I grew up with it. I daresay, I will never out grow it. My only regret is that I now have to wait another two years (or more) for the final book. Wow, I'll be a senior then. How time flies when you're having fun, huh? -goes off the re read the book and cry again at the injustice of it all-.

**-Decente Renko-** I've decided to continue on without re writing it. It's fine as it is, if you can over look the mistakes. I love this story, so I suppose that all that matters. I can only hope y'all love it as much as I do! Thanks for the review. You've been great -grin-.  
**-Inuyashafaneva-** You'll see! I have a plan, you know:3. Thanks for reviewing!  
**-Psycho Dragon Lover-** Heh, that's great. My dogs don't play very often. Jiggs (the hyper black one) likes to play tug of war with me, but Maggie (the other one) is too fat to want anything to do with something as undignified as playing. Thanks for the review. I don't care if you don't have anything to say, at least you're reviewing, right? I appreciate that, very much so.  
**-Kiyuu-Chan-** Ah, if I had known that at the time I was writing this then maybe things would be different. Thanks for the info, though. At least in the next HMC story I write everything will make sense,-laugh-. And thanks for the random fact. I got to impress a friend who's also seen the movie with it:3.  
**-Arcane Legacy-** I'm impressed that you have that kind of attention span. I'm still not quite convinced that my story isn't a stinky steaming sack of crap, so to hear you say that you read it all in one day makes me happy and confused. Heh, I felt like saying, "You didn't die of boredom?" But anyway, I think it would be rather cruel to post my full response to your review here. Let's let all the little secrets I shared in my answer remain in email form, hmm? -wink-. I look forward to your criticism of this chapter. It is your baby, after all! –laugh-  
**-Weaver Goddess-** How I do love being evil :3. Southern Indiana isn't quite what the rest of the world imagines. I am definitely no southern Bell. But every thing you hear about Kentucky? All true :3. Heh, thanks for the review.  
**-Peeka-chan-** I'm pretty sure Howl got a quite a few spankings in his day. I imagine he was quite mischievous. Thanks for the response.  
**-Telmarine-** Heh, I have no idea if Markl would behave this way were he in these circumstances. It's just how I remember him from the movie. I could be completely wrong. Can you tell you've made me nervous by saying you think I'm right about everyone's personalities? And, you're a real sweetheart to offer! But I've already ordered both books online, so I think I'm going to wait. I have a lot of respect for another author's work. I wouldn't feel right reading it without actually purchasing them.  
**-MJP-** I'm quite jealous that you've seen the movie that many times! I would love to see it again. And again. Then again for good measure -laugh-. Thanks for the information and the review ;).  
**-Mag Carter-** Ah, but short chapters are easier to read. Plus the multiple cliff hangers make you come back begging for more. Thanks for reviewing!  
**-foxmagic-** Another update another glomp XD. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the reviews and the glompage!  
**-L8infinity-** I'm terribly predictable. It'll become blaringly clear soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if each and every one of you figured it out. Thanks!  
**-bc-**I have awful grammar skills. You have no idea what language I'm writing in, were it not for spell check. Ah, the blessed spell check! Thank you for the review.  
**-candidus-lupus-full Moon-** A fellow HP lover XD. Good to see I'm not alone out there. Thanks for reviewing.  
**-MagRowan-** Aww, thanks! I fear that Sophie is a little out of character, but then considering what she's going though…-shrug-. I've heard that the book and movie differed greatly, but I welcome the changes. Thanks -grin-.


	8. Mr Twinkles

CHAPTER 8- Mr. Twinkles

Markl and Jessica didn't stop running until several blocks later, when they were sure they hadn't been followed and were a safe distance away.

"I think we need to go inside somewhere for awhile before going on, don't you?" Markl suggested.

"I know a place. Follow me." Jessica pulled up her hood and tied it in place. Then she started up the street, but Markl put a hand on her shoulder and directed her toward an alley. "Let me do something real quick."

Markl dug around under his cloak in his pockets till he found what he was looking for. It was a small leather pouch. "Gimme you cloak."

Jessica hesitated, "What are you going to do to it?"

"Nothing permanent. Just take it off, okay?" Markl said, grinning reassuringly.

Jessica hesitated again, "Can't you do whatever it is that you want to do, without needing me to take it off?"

"I suppose so…" Markl said, trailing away. It sounded suspicious to him, but then girls were an oddity he had yet to understand. He doubted even Master Howl completely understood them. Come to think of it, even Sophie did weird _girl_ things every once and a while.

Markl opened the pouch and crouched down next to Jessica. He held one corner of her baby blue cloak flat on his palm and poured a portion of the pouch's contents onto it. It looked very much like soot, which made Jessica gasp in alarm. Markl gave her an irritated glance. "Don't freak out. It won't stain or ruin your clothes. What colors do you like?"

Jessica gave him a confused look, but answered obediently, "Pink, yellow, teal, green-."

"Green it is then." Markl lifted the corner a little higher to his mouth and blew on the powder. It spread across the surface of the fabric in a miniature wave that defied gravity, growing in quantity to cover the cloak while simultaneously turning it a dark green color. Jessica watched this particularly simple parlor trick with wide eyes, till the powder had finished its job and had stopped.

"I keep forgetting you can do these kinds of things." She remarked softly, examining the new color on her collar.

"What? You weren't impressed when I blew those guys away?" Markl pointed out.

"That's different. This just seems more… I don't know, interesting."

Markl rolled his eyes at her.

"Did you make that powder stuff?" She inquired.

"No, I don't know how yet. My Master does it. It's useful if you need a quick change in disguise or a getaway. Using this as a getaway is a little messy though, so I prefer to use it just for disguises."

She frowned, "How can it be both?"

Markl shrugged, "Its ingredients allow it to be flexible in the forms it takes. All it requires is a little magical push from the user. And don't worry, the new color will fade in two or three hours, leaving you with your old color." Markl pulled up his hood, transforming into his elderly alter ego. "Let's go."Jessica nodded, fixing her own hood in place. Together they left the alley, and took off slowly down the street, looking very much like a grand daughter and grandfather out for a stroll. The sun was high in the sky, signaling that noon was upon them. The street was filling to burst with people. They got jostled around a bit but it was a small compromise for the extra measure of safety a crowd like this gave them.

The only thing that made the both of them stiffen was a man in black standing at an intersection of streets, his eyes darting around from person to person. His eyes flickered to them, held, and then went on to another group of people. Quickening their step they left the intersection behind.

After walking several blocks through streets full of markets, vendors and people, Jessica lead him to a quant looking little blue and yellow house. It would have been an ideal place to live for anyone, except for the fact that it seemed to be compacted between two very large buildings situated on either side of it. Jessica and Markl approached the house and scaled the little porch. Jessica motioned to take down the guise before she knocked lightly on the front door.

Markl could hear shuffling going on inside and after a long pause an elderly lady answered. She wore a baggy purple sun dress and house slippers. Her blue gray hair was held up in a bun and she wore thick squared glasses that gave her a rather owlish appearance. She appeared for all practical purposes, a run of the mill grandmother. All except for the parrot that was perched precariously on her shoulder snoring loudly. After a moment of blinking at them, the woman smiled kindly. "Goodness, is that you Jessica? I can hardly recognize you when you're not wearing that pretty blue cloak of yours."

Jessica lowered her hood, beaming, "It's me, Granny. Can we come in? This is a friend of mine, Markl."

"Mitchell, you say? Why, of course, come right on in, dearies."

They entered the cool dark house and Markl could see that it was just as quaint as the outside. He figured it would be what his grandma's house would look like, if he had a grandma, that is.

"It's Markl, ma'am." He corrected gently.

"Oh, pardon me. My hearing isn't what it use to be." She said, sounding unperturbed by her mistake.

Jessica frowned, "You really should come and live with me and my family. Or at the very least live with your son."

Granny waved her hand dismissively, "I won't hear of it. You do to much as it is for this old woman. And move to Market Chipping? Heavens no. The whole lot of them smell like day old cod." Markl sniffed his own shoulder suspiciously. "Have you little ones eaten today? I'd be glad to fix you something." She asked.

Jessica nodded, "Thank you." She turned to Markl, "What do you like?"

Markl gave her a surprised look, then shook his head, "I'm not picky."

The elderly woman shuffled off to a back room where there was apparently a kitchen.

Jessica plopped down on the couch and smiled at him, "I never thanked you for saving me. That's twice in just one day."

Markl blushed, "It wasn't a big deal." He muttered, focusing intensely at his shoes. Not looking at Jessica, he walked over to a fairly large armchair decorated in funky bright blue and fuchsia rectangles, and sat down. He sank nearly six inches, but it was still very comfortable.

"So will you tell me what you have to talk to Prince Justin about?" Jessica asked casually.

"Will you tell me why those men are after you?" He countered.

Jessica shushed him, looking toward the kitchen to make sure Granny was still bustling about the kitchen. Jessica turned back to Markl, glowering at him. Markl grinned cheekily in response.

"Fine." She huffed. "We'll trade secrets if you're going to be so stubborn about it." She whispered at him. Markl's grin fell. He hadn't thought she'd really concede. But then, it wasn't as if his mission had to be kept secret. It was just that he didn't feel like talking about it. To talk about it was to acknowledge that there was a real problem. He was, in a way, in denial.

"You go first." Jessica said, keeping her voice low.

Markl averted his eyes to the ground, "I changed my mind. It's not important."

Jessica didn't look happy about his sudden about face, "If it's not important then you can tell me." She snapped, looking frustrated at his logic, then with a glance towards the kitchen, she lowered her voice again, "You can trust me, Markl. I might even be able to help you."

He gave her incredulous look at the last bit, but shrugged vaguely all the same. "My master is missing." He said plainly, looking down again. "Tur-I mean, Prince Justin knows him, not very well mind you, but still enough that he might know something about his location."

Jessica's gaze flickered with some emotion, but it quickly disappeared before Markl had the chance to look up. "Who's your master? I might have seen him around Kingsbury."

He hesitated briefly before reluctantly speaking, "His name is Howl." He saw her turn pale and chuckled, "Don't worry. He doesn't really eat women's hearts. Sophie would kill him if he tried."

"Sophie?" She asked, the color still not quite returned to her cheeks.

"Yeah. I guess you could say she looks after us. She's like family to me." He said proudly. He was about to switch the subject to the mysterious men in black when the kindly elderly woman returned.

"Jessica, Matthew, it's ready now. Come eat, dearies." The parrot was awake and peering at Markl with a sly kind of leer.

Jessica readily leapt to her feet and ran past the two of them without a word. Markl didn't bother correcting her a second time, and asked, "Is Jessica your grand daughter?"

"No." The parrot squawked. The woman scratched the neck of the parrot, "Yes, Mr. Twinkles is right. I've known Jessica since she was just a little thing, but she's not my son's daughter."

Markl absorbed this and was on the verge of asking exactly what her relationship to Jessica was, when the girl in question re entered the room.

"What are you waiting on?" She asked Markl, hands on her hips. "Granny went through the trouble of making us something to eat then you better come and eat it."

Granny made a sound that sounded like laughter. "Now, now, dearie. Don't be so hard on poor Matt."

The meal was not elaborate. In fact it was precisely the type of meal Markl was used to; bacon sandwiches. Not that he was complaining. They ate their meal like most children their age do, in a flash.

Markl's head started to pound towards the end of the meal. At first he thought it was a simple headache but then he began feeling drowsy. "Jessica." He said, to get her attention. When she looked up he said, "I don't feel so good."

She frowned, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "I just feel funny all of a sudden." He stood thinking it'd be a good idea to intrude on the elderly woman and lie down on the couch when the ground came up to meet him.

(A/N: waves hesitatively Alo. Remember me? The poor, pathetic, starving authoress? Yes, that one. Surprisingly enough, I did not die, despite what the popular belief might be. I merely took a mini hiatus so that I could get situated in my dorm. No, I'm not in college. Just a tough boarding school (phrase used for a lack of something better). Just prod me when I start to get lazy, m'kay?

Now, let me say that, while I love each and every one of you, it's slowly killing me to respond in a semi original fashion to you all. You'll have to suffice with me merely listing your beautiful names. So… yeah. Thanks to Elycien, L8infinity, nefi, SAGA123, Inuyashafaneva, Decente Renko, Kiyuu-Chan, Lady Moon Dragon, SapphireAria, candidus-lupus-full Moon, Arcane Legacy, Sophie-Lou, DarkWolf88, foxmagic, MagRowan, The Original Safety Pin, Mag Carter, ManonLeChat, Master and Commander, and Psycho Dragon Lover.

Thanks again for the support and glomps! They're all greatly appreciated. Thanks go out to my roomie, Quin, for beta reading for me.)


	9. A Turn for the Worse

CHAPTER 9- A Turn for the Worse

Elsewhere, in darker settings, lay a dark damp cage. It appeared, for all practical purposes, to be a reproduction of an old medieval dungeon. For all anyone knew, it might have been real. Some might think that mere stone and good masonry isn't enough to keep a powerful wizard confined. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't, but set deep within the mortar were powerful binding spells, which incapacitated even the most powerful of wizards.

A man with shoulder length black hair lay curled into a corner, shivering uncontrollable. With a groan he forced his head up a scant few inches to glare at his surroundings. He pulled himself to sit upright, using the offending wall behind him to support himself. His mind was fragmented and torn.

He'd only been in this little filthy prison three hellish days but it already felt like an eternity. Sometimes he couldn't remember who he was. Or those he'd promised to protect.

But then he'd realized that it was partially because they put that damn drug in everything he ate and drank. So for two days he hadn't eaten. He'd barely drink.

He hated feeling weak. And he could do anything about it. Even a movement as small and insignificant as the one he had made earlier was enough to drain him. He shook, little tremors erupting through out his body.

He rubbed a free hand across his chest and murmured a single word. A name the penetrated the darkness of his little slice of hell, "Sophie".

-

Markl came back to himself slowly and groggily. He couldn't remember what had happened. He sat up, the stone beneath his hands was icily cold, and realized quickly that such a movement had been a very bad idea. A pain ripped across his mind so sharply that he cried out. He grit his teeth against the agony of it. In an attempt to relive the pain, he pressed the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. His back found the wall and he slumped into it and didn't move till the pain was a mere throbbing in his temples. Even a tiny shift of his head made it stab at him painfully.

He wanted to sob at the injustice of it. All he wanted was his family to be together again. He wanted Sophie and Howl safe and well back at the castle. That wasn't too much to ask, to hope, for. Was it?

His cries must have gained him some attention because a pair of shoes entered his line of vision. He tilted his head up, though it made him wince. It had gone un-noticed before now, because of the pulsing throughout his entire skull, but he was in a cell of some sort. The bars were thick and rusted, the first several layers of metal peeling away like the wax of a well-used candle. Only a few well places sconces bolted to the walls kept the cell lit with dim light. Outside his cell was a walkway then another cell facing his. Markl followed the pair of shoes up to the face that belonged to them. The face of a sneering guard met his fuzzy gaze.

"I thought you might have died, little scum. Pity." He said, a severe cruel grin twisting his face into sharp angles. The light from the candles flickered and the shadows it cast on his face made him seem all the more fiendish.

Markl blinked trying to keep his eyes in focus, "Where am I?"

The guard's lip curled, "The prison in Kingsbury. So you're filthy and dumb? How you ever managed to kidnap Milady Jessica I will never know."

"What?" Markl said, trying to process what the guard's heavy foreign accent and words.

"Don't feign innocence. The whole city knows what you've done and we'll see you're properly… berated for it." The guard said, sliding his thumb slowly across his own throat.

Mark swallowed with difficulty. "I didn't kidnap anyone. I just met her on the street. Just ask her yourself!" He finished clinging to the bars, in an effort to steady himself.

He guard's hand whipped out and snatched his throat into his grasp through the bars. Markl gasped as the hand tightened, cutting off his oxygen. "Don't lie, you nasty little worm!" The guard snarled, bringing his face right up close to Markl's, "You attacked my fellow guard's men as well as Milady's own personal guard in order to steal her away. Don't deny it when a dozen people witnessed it! So don't start spoutin' off that rubbish on me, or I won't let you see the light of day ever again." He pushed him away roughly, his hand leaving his throat and Markl ended up sprawled out on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Markl sat up gingerly, taking slow breaths, and glared at the guard, "They're convict you of manslaughter if you kill me before my trial."

A sinister light ended the guard's eyes, "Not if it's in self defense." With those frightening parting words the guard left the hallway of cells and disappeared out of sight. With his absence, a tension left Markl's shoulders on the wings of a sigh and he touched his sore neck gently. If he had a mirror he would see the large purple bruise that had already started to form.

Markl settled himself against the cold stonewall, as far from the bars as he could and mulled over his situation. Apparently, he had been put in jail for kidnapping Jessica. But the thing was, he was pretty sure that that hadn't been his intention. Further more Jessica had gone quite willingly with him, and to that effect she had been doing most of the leading. He was just an innocent bystander. More than that, he felt as if he had been aiding the girl in escaping some very unsavory characters.

The more he thought about it the more confused and sick he felt. It didn't make any sense… unless of course this had been Jessica's intension from the start. He hadn't felt like she were bad a bad person. He wouldn't have helped her otherwise. His head throbbed painfully, reminding him that he hadn't come to be here without injury.

He took inventory of his minor and major hurts. The top and most incessantly irritating hurt was obviously his headache. The second was, well, his whole body. He felt weak and achy. If he didn't paying attention, his whole body would begin to tremble. He felt like a huge weight was lying on his chest, constricting his heart and lungs. Not to mention that he couldn't stand without getting one hellava dizzy spell.

All his symptoms pointed to- he swallowed with difficulty- drugs. He certainly hadn't been injected or inhaled anything. So that only left the things he'd eaten. He doubted anything he'd eaten that morning would take so long to affect him. Or rather, yesterday morning, he corrected, looking around the dingy cell for some kind of clue as to how long he'd been unconscious. And besides the fact, he was doubly certain that no one in _his_ family would ever harm him that way.

So that only left two people. Jessica or that kindly old woman. They both had opportunity to put something into his food. Neither option was in any way a comforting thought. Was it possible that he had so badly misjudged one of them? Another pressing matter was the question of 'Why?'. Why would either of them do something like this? What did they have to gain from his incarceration? He didn't understand any of it.

An irresistible urge to sleep came over him and the poor boy was too exhausted and pain ridden to deny his body that one small reprieve from the horror of this situation.

-

Markl came awake with a jolt, for no apparent reason at all. His blurry gaze immediately went to the bars of his cell, expecting to see the guard sneering down at him. But there was no one. A shifting in his peripheral vision made him glance into the corner and what he saw there made him gasp.

So filthy and beaten he was barely recognizable anymore, was Howl.

Markl scrambled over to him, surprised by his presence and that the movement had cost him no moments of coherency. He sat on his knees in front of Howl, his eyes wide with hope and concern. Howl made no movement and it was then that Markl took note of the chains that bound him in place. Some of them were sharp and digging nasty cuts into his skin.

"Howl? Is it really you?" He whispered, his own voice sounding strange to his ears. His mud caked hair kept falling into his eyes, concealing them from view.

"Yes, Markl, it's me." Howl's voice was scratchy and hoarse, but more importantly, tinged with pain.

"I don't understand. How did you get here? Where have you been? Why did you leave? Don't you know how worried we've all been since you left?" Markl's wave of questions had begun out of curiosity but by the end his voice was high and accusatory. His eyes sparked with anger.

"We don't have time for that now. Listen, very carefully, and do as I-." Howl's words caught in his throat as a look of agony rippled across his features. A shudder swelled through him and Howl began to convulse.

Horrified, Markl couldn't move. Then just as suddenly as he had begun to convulse, he stopped, going as limp as a rag doll. His chest wasn't rising or falling as it should. His eyes were wide and blank, without sight. Shaking, not understanding, Markl touched Howl's hand which was already turning icy. With a sob choking him, Markl fell back.

Howl Pendragon was dead.


	10. Further Drama

A/N: Omgchapter! I'm not "back", because I never really "left". So yes, please enjoy. Thanks to all those who have commented in my hiatus :. Regular disclaimer applies.

Chapter 11

Markl bolted upright, a strangled sound of distress filling his ears. He looked frantically around his prison trying to discern reality from fragmented dreams. With another jolt he remembered… Howl! He looked around himself for any sign of his mentor, but there was not a trace. Not even his still cool form in the corner… So it had been a dream? But it had seemed so real!

Markl rested shakily against the penetratingly cold wall to brace himself and steady his equally shaky thoughts. His heart was still pounding so hard, as if it were some trapped frantic thing lying just beneath his skin. Placing a hand there to calm it, he tried his best to dispel that horrible image from his mind. Of Howl… he swallowed with difficulty and tried to think of other things. As he relaxed against the hard stonewall a strangled laugh found its way to his chapped lips. He just had to laugh at the irony that at this moment his very last wish would be to see Howl, when this whole time he'd been frantic to find him.

The sound of metal meeting metal sharply made him jump and glance around nervously. The last person he could possibly want to see at this point stood outside his cell holding a tray with food of a questionable edible nature in his hands. Markl glared at the guard, more than willing to go without food if it would spare him further encounters with this particular creature.

"I see you survived the night." The guard said stiffly, looking sorely disappointed.

Markl remained right where he was, being no fool, and in no hurry to receive a similar "berating" as he had the day before. His throat would feel sore for many days to come thanks to him. In the light of day, Markl could make out the guard much better. No longer was he emphasized as a twisted sinister pair of eyes with an equally ghoulish grin. In the daylight, he was a normal man, and seemed far less intimidating. In fact, the only way Markl was able to connect the two as the same person was from the heavy unidentifiable accent. Markl nodded jerkily in answer to the guard.

"Pity." He said and set the food down about a meter away from the cell. "You'd better eat it before the rats smell it. Nasty little heathens. They're scavengers you know. They'll swarm anything weak and helpless if it means they'll be getting a meal in the end." The guard turned on his heel and left the room via the stairwell.

Markl defiantly stuck his tongue out at his retreating footsteps in mild retaliation. He glanced at the food and thought about what the guard had said. Was it a threat? Did he perhaps command a legion of rat armies with which he would send to his cell to devour him bit by tiny bit? He shivered, although not from the cold. In any case, he might as well eat since it appeared that the food would sit there until eaten, either by him or unwelcome visitors.

He got up gingerly and walked over to the edge of his cell. He got down on his stomach and reached to the edge of the tray. His fingers fell just short of the edge, no matter how hard he strained to reach it. He gave up momentarily and retreated to his wall, knowing that that approach was futile. He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them close. It was then that he realized his migraine was gone. 'Well,' he thought, 'At least that's something.'

"Markl?"

Markl blinked.

"Hey, Markl! And you down there?" Said a hushed feminine voice from inside his cell.

"Jessica?" Markl asked, hesitantly, recognizing the voice but unable to pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Yes! My voice should be coming from the corner of your cell."

Sure enough in the corner of the cell high up on the wall was a small cylindrical hole.

"How is it that you can talk to me?" He asked, getting to his feet and approaching the corner warily.

"I'm in the garden right now. This air tube was installed when the castle was built to provide prisoners with fresh air. It's not needed anymore but it's a nice way to talk to convicts."

He scoffed, smiling faintly, "Do you make it a habit of making friends with criminals?"

He laughter echoed down to him, "Only sometimes."

His smile faded, "Jessica, did you know they think I kidnapped you?"

Silence was all the reply he received, "Jessica…?"


	11. Insight into the Girl

Chapter 12: Insight into the Girl

"Jessica, did you know they think I kidnapped you?" Markl asked.

Aboveground, Jessica bit her lip and paused to think about how to respond. Of course she knew. What she couldn't decide on was how to explain everything to him. At first, she had thought she was doing the right thing. _She_ had been proud of her. But at the same time something was telling her that it was all wrong. She knew she shouldn't be speaking to Markl, but he has seemed so _nice_. She just couldn't fathom that it had all been a ruse.

"Jessica?" Markl asked again.

"Jessica!" A familiar voice called. She jolted up from her kneeling position quickly and was straightening her skirts when Nathaniel rounded the corner. Nathaniel was Prince Justin's aide, although that was only what was told to others. The reality was that he was a hired friend and had been since both of the men had been boys. Finding playmates of the same princely standards was a difficult feat for many a monarchies doting parents. All the same, it was a peculiar relationship they had, Prince Justin and Nathaniel…

The young man was just slightly on the wrong side of thin, but he was by no means sickly. His black hair was pulled back into a short ponytail and his icy blue eyes gleamed with intensity.

"What were you doing?" He asked, narrowing his gaze at Jessica suspiciously.

"Walking." She said haughtily. "Is there a rule against that now too?"

"No…" He said, glancing at her skirts. "That is, if that really is what you were doing."

She followed his line of vision and was not a little mortified to see that the spot she'd been kneeling on was wet and stained.

"What are you?" She snapped, going red, "My wet nurse?"

He shrugged. "In any case, your mother is going livid with wanting for you."

She muttered something unladylike under her breath and stomped past the unbearable man. A smile made his lips twitch before he smothered it and followed dutifully after Jessica, in order to make sure that she did indeed go find her mother.

Jessica knew that mother would be in the sitting room. She loved it. Because that was all she did in it. Sit. Running amuck outside was unladylike and silly. Jessica tended to disagree. Immensely.

This was why she took every possible opportunity to leave the castle and her mother's watchful eye. Her father understood, she brooded. So why couldn't her mother? The castle was stifling, and the only part she really enjoyed with the seldom used garden. And now, even that was being taken from her.

"You wanted me, mother?" Jessica said dully.

Her mother turned slightly in her chair to look at Jessica. She was an almost perfect mirror image of what an older Jessica would grow up to be. A voluptuous beauty with blue eyes and perfectly coiffed blond hair. A woman fit to be seen sitting beside a King. Jessica's and Justin's mother, the King's wife, Victoria.

"There you are, darling. Where were you?" Her eyes fell to take in Jessica's dress and a horror filled gasp escaped her mouth. "What happened?!"

"I…I was…um-." Jessica had been so busy thinking about other things on the way over that she had completely forgotten to think up a story!

"If you'll pardon the interruption, your Majesty…" Nathaniel said, "Milady Jessica was walking in the garden and a rock tripped her."

Jessica stood there, staring up at Nathaniel, mouth slightly ajar. It had been totally out of the blue and she couldn't figure out why _Nathaniel _of all people would make an effort to help her.

"Is that true?" Her mother asked sharply, suspiciously. Victoria, for all her faults, knew her daughter well.

"Yes." She said quickly, not daring to contradict Nathaniel's story for a better one. She didn't want to get Nathaniel in trouble for trying to help her… that is, if that really was what he was doing. She'd have to interrogate him later.

Her mother stood, the stern presence creasing her marble smooth skin gone, a look of maternal love in its place. "You poor thing. Are you hurt? Mother is sorry for being rash… it's just that this _is_ the third time this week, my sweetness." She unfolded her fan and aired herself gently. Getting angry flushed the skin horribly. "You may go." She said to Nathaniel without looking at him.

He bowed respectfully and left quickly.

"Have I done something wrong, Mother?" Jessica asked.

"What? Goodness no!" She laughed, a fluttery becoming sound, honed to the perfect pitch. "I just haven't seen you all day. Is it wrong for a mother to want to check up on her daughter?"

"No." She said, grudgingly. Though she desperately wanted to add that there was something wrong with _this_ mother for checking up on her daughter. "Is that all?"

"Yes. You're such a _good_ girl, humoring a doting mother like this."

"Thank you." She made to leave as well.

"By the by, I know what a gentle creature you are, darling, so I just wanted to let you know that you did the absolute right thing. What any loving sister would do without hesitation."

Jessica stood with her back to her mother so that she couldn't see the look of doubt on her face. "I know."

Victoria smiled, "Of course you do. Now go change out of those rags, dear, before someone thinks that you don't have anything cleaner to wear."

"Yes, mother." Jessica didn't bother to turn around and give her mother the usual angelic deceiving smile she usually did. She just left.

Her head with filled with confused thoughts now. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She needed to see her brother. He would quicken her resolve, or at the very least, help steady the foundation.

She found him where he seemed to be spending most of his time lately; in the library. He was sitting at a table, surrounded by complicated wordy texts, some of which seemed to be written in long dead languages. As to what he was looking for… No one was really sure.

"Justin?" She said, quietly, afraid of disturbing him.

He looked up at hearing his name and smiled, "Hello Jessica. Do you need me for something?"

"No. I just wanted to see you."

He smiled, no doubt baffled by the mysteriously ways of women children. "And now you've seen me. Is that all you wanted?" He wheedled. "Maybe a talk?"

When she didn't answer, he nudged on of the seats out from under the table with his foot. "Have a seat."

She sat, looking forlornly like the world was coming to an end. He didn't pressure her to tell him what was wrong, however. He was twelve years her senior and he knew her better than her own mother did. Jessica was unable to keep her thoughts and emotions bottled for long.

"Are you unhappy?" She burst out.

He blinked, not sure what he had been expecting but knowing that it surely hadn't been that. "No, not right now." He said, deciding on utter honesty.

"I mean," She said, frustrated with his bluntness, "Are you… heartsick?"

He didn't say anything while his mind whirled. Could Jessica be referring to what he thought she was? If so, how could she possibly have found out?

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you can't be with your true love, right? Wouldn't that be painful?"

He didn't know how to answer, so he tried to evade, "I'm fine."

He was lying. She _knew_ he was. How could he not be? What else could explain his strange behavior ever since he'd returned?

Prince Justin saw the look of skepticism on her young face and sighed. Jessica was far too perceptive for her own good. "Okay, look." He said taking a breath. "I don't know how you found out, Jessica, but I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. Even from Mother and Father. Can you do that for me?"

This confession only served to confuse her further. Didn't he know that Mother already knew? Perhaps not, considering how slippery she could be sometimes. It was possible that Mother had a plan in mind to help that, for some reason, she hadn't revealed to him yet. If that was the case then it was in his best interests to stay out of the whole ordeal and let Mother handle it, since she seemed to know what she was doing.

"I can do that for you." She said seriously.

Justin smiled, "Good. Don't worry, Jessica. I'm trying to find a solution and you know what they say… when there's a will there's a way."

A/N: When I started this fan fiction, I had just recently watched the movie. As time when on and chapters were produced, my memory's of the places and locations wavered. That is why, back in chapter 4, Markl went to visit Madame Suliman in the "palace" in some un-named city… which really should have been Kingsbury. But for the sake of the plot, I'm going to have to ask that you ignore this rather ugly hole and pretend Madame Suliman's home isn't in the palace in Kingsbury. Maybe someday I'll re-write this whole thing so that it makes chronological sense… Sorry for the mix up and thanks for understanding!

By the way, thanks to everyone who reviewed when I stopped writing. If I hadn't gotten your reviews every now and again, I would never have picked it back up :. Sorry this chapter is so boring. It's kinda necessary though. I'll try to update soon, if any of you are still out there reading.


	12. The Scab and the Story

Regular disclaimer applies. I only own Jessica, Nathaniel and Victoria (and maybe a few other random people).

Chapter 13: The Scab and the Story

It was the waiting that was killing him. He could handle the cold uncomfortable floor, the lack of proper bedding. He could even ignore the dumb guards to a certain extent. But trapped, with no way to help figure out how to fix things? It was killing him.

"Hey!" Markl yelled out of the bars. "Let me out!"

He paused and listened for some sign of being heard. When none came he started again. "Let me out! I didn't do anything wrong! Ask Jessica!" He took a breath. "HEYYYYY!"

A relatively small metal like object hit the bars hard, inches from where his fingers were curled. The object clattered to the floor and he saw that it was a rusted metal cup.

"God, you're irritating. Shut up, will you? Some of us are _trying _to sleep." A male voice rumbled from the cell across from his. Someone was lying down on the floor, with a pile of rags strung over them.

"How long have you been there?" Markl asked, surprised. He hadn't noticed anyone in the cell before now.

"Ha! That's a good question! Let's see…" The man sat up and Markl saw that the man's face was half covered in a bushy brown beard. He was muttering to himself, apparently counting how long he'd been there. After a moment he stopped muttering and was staring at his own fingers. "I lost count." He replied morosely, letting his hands fall back into his lap.

"Roughly, then."

"About six years."

Markl choked, "Why?!"

"Same as you, kiddo. 'I didn't do anything wrong'. But as the guards love to say, 'We don't care.'."

Markl huffed in exasperation, "Okay, well, what are you accused of doing?"

"That's none of your business, kid." He replied gruffly. "In any case, they're not going to let you out, no matter how much you scream. That is, unless they plan on killing you. So do me a favor and keep quiet or cause a _real_ commotion. Like that one guy did."

"One guy?" Markl asked, interested.

"Yup. One guy."

Markl waited for the man to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead he started to pick at a scab on the side of his arm.

"Oh, come ON." Markl wailed. "You can't just say something like that and not continue!"

The man looked up and appeared to grin beneath his bushy beard, "Oh really? Where in the rule book of life does it say that? Nowhere, that's where."

"What else have you got to do, except tell me what happened?" Markl pointed out, exasperatedly.

The man held up his arm to show Markl the scab.

"That's disgusting."

The man shrugged, "You asked me what else I had to do."

Markl was sure that the man was leading him on now. Boredom, especially six years of it, was probably enough to scramble more than a few brains. He probably thought it was entertaining to lead on the new younger inmates. For kicks and tickles, or whatever.

"I don't care anymore." He said, turning around to put his back to the bars and sliding down them.

There was a long pause where Markl waited for the man to take the bait. He was just about to start wondering if the ploy had failed when he spoke.

"This guy that was here the other day? He was a great wizard." He paused, no doubt waiting for Markl to beginning asking redundant questions. Markl knew that staying quiet, however, would probably goad the man into saying more than asking questions would, however, because it would give him an opportunity to drag out the story and taunt Markl.

"I bet you're wondering how I knew he was a great wizard, huh? Well, he could do all sorts of things to befuddle the guards and slither out of things and stuff like that in general. Once he even tricked one of the guards into opening his cell door by disguising himself as the head guard. He would have gotten away with it if the real thing hadn't walked in right then."

He paused again, for longer this time, but Markl refused to budge. His mind was a flurry with questions that begged to be voiced but he bit his lips to keep them to himself. Self control wasn't really one of his more refined talents.

"Anyway, after this point, you could tell he was done playing. He started getting more forceful with his magic, but then…"

He paused again and it was all Markl could do to keep from shouting to get on with it.

"They tried to bind his magic, you know? They started to poison his food with drugs, to weaken him, to make him feebler than a newborn kitten. Of course, being a wizard, he retaliated. Don't know if you noticed it on your way in, but the cell a few numbers over from us is all busted up and broken. He blew the whole thing sky high in an attempt to get away! Of course…" The man laughed, cruelly, "He hurt himself as well. Guess he thought he was still strong enough to protect himself from the spell. Goes to show you even the arrogant ones get shown up every now and again!"

Markl's heart was pounding hard in his chest, like a wild thing trying to escape. Could it be…? A powerful wizard who could befuddle guards, disguise himself as them and perform high level blast incantations? It all sounded wonderfully familiar.

"After that, they took him away. Alive or dead, who knows… but if he was alive when someone leaves this place they usually never come back, if you know what I mean."

He tried to reason with himself, so that he wouldn't get his hopes up. Lots of powerful wizards were out there, with similar spells in their arsenal. It could be mere coincidence… and after all, even if Howl had been here the other day, he clearly wasn't there anymore.

The image from his nightmare of Howl rose unbidden to his memory and he closed his eyes quickly, but all that did was make it clearer. More vivid.

"What did he look like?" Markl asked, unable to help himself.

"Aha! So you were interested. I knew it." He sounded like he'd made a brilliant deduction. When Markl didn't respond, he focused on the question. "Hmm… I only saw him once or twice. Sort of plain looking, I guess. But really elaborate clothing, up until he blew himself up. Uh… black-ish hair?"

Markl started to cry silently. He wasn't even sure why. He was happy, not sad! The relief he felt was indescribable. Master Howl was alive, or he had been a little more than two days ago. He was so close. Closer than he'd ever been since he left the safety and comfort of the castle. It didn't matter what the man in the cell said. Master Howl was alive and now nothing could stop him from somehow finding a way to get out of there and find him! Right after he stopped crying. Heroes weren't supposed to cry, after all.

A/N: I heavily edited the ending of chapter seven, where Sophie's illness appeared, so if you're interested in reading something that makes more sense, and is less corny, please go do so.

**Also, if you take the time to read it, please take the time to review! It really does encourage me to write more. When you post a review I know you liked what I wrote, but when I stare at another "hit" point and have absolutely no clue. Put my mind at ease! Love love love, okay? Let me feel the love heart.**

Pinky Sprinkles: I am indeed alive! I'm sorry about the deadness. I have no idea why I lost interest before. But believe me, it's not as easy as I apparently make it seem..? I fret about plot and character portrayal constantly D:

Q: I thought I'd abandoned it too. Hmm? Nathaniel looks like Howl? Why, I never even noticed! What a peculiar coincidence.


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